Balance regained
by Tashad
Summary: And surely, the rain will come, carrying the salty taste of the ocean and sticky fingers of the wind, rising and falling like the tide at full moonlight… Set around All things, ‘cause we love them so. First fanfic in English. Oneshot. Reviews: please do


Balance regained

The thunder broke out shattering the silence of the night into patches of light and darkness. It seemed like the fitting ending of the long, hot and sultry day which drew the energy from all living things under the blazing son. There was a lingering promise of forthcoming rain as the wind started howling and thundering matching in strength the intensity of lightning flashes across the torn sky. The nature too needed a closure, the thirst quenched, the patience rewarded. And surely, the rain will come, carrying the salty taste of the ocean and sticky fingers of the wind, rising and falling like the tide at full moonlight…

It was on the nights like this that Mulder felt most alive; listening to the raging forces of nature reunited with his throbbing heart, breathing in the freshness of the newly born air filling his lungs. Just. Being. Existing. Feeling. The soft, lingering taste of Scully's skin on his fingers. He closed his eyes. It was all too much. He opened them again. His field of vision was filled with the smoothest contrast of red and white, Scully's hair embracing her porcelain-delicate features. Her lips, shiny, curved, slightly parted in sleep. Her arms, clasped at her lap, long-nailed fingers of the hands he knew so well, which traced contours of his face and relaxed in his hair to end up resting on his chest so many times. Her slim waste extended into richly shaped hips and legs which looked great in knee-length skirts, Scully's trademark. _Scully._

Scully had one of those vivid dreams which always seem to draw their force from the hazy border line between sleep and reality. There was nothing concrete about this dream, but there was a dominant feeling. The swirling images of the past days filled her mind's eye, free of the constraints imposed by daylight. And all things sank into place. The long-tailed lightning flashed across the window pane extending into the vast epicentre of the rising storm. Slowly, Scully opened her eyes.

Scully was half-stretched on Mulder's couch looking at the dark window frame lit by occasional flashes and listening to the cacophonic orchestra outside. She could feel the warmth of the blanket wrapped around her, and she thought of Mulder's embrace, his arms circling her form, the heat radiating from his body. And it triggered all the memories. So many times she found herself there, in his inviting arms. Too many times, her blood was steaming so hot in response to his touch that she could feel her heart beating in her throat. _Hallway. Dizziness. Weak at the knees. Powerless. Mesmerized by his gaze. No, hypnotized. Can't look away. God. Is he about to, is this, what… Incoherent thoughts. Kiss me? Closer still. Can't take any more. His hands cupping my face. And drawing me closer. I catch my breath. Then I stop breathing. My eyes close on their own accord. With all my senses on the alert, I shiver. And then I feel it, his lips reach mine or mine reach his. The time stops. And then the pain shoots through me. And the moment is gone. If only it hadn't been for the bee, how would it have ended? I would not have been able to resist him. I clearly remember. I lost my head then. _

Scully reflected on. _In Mulder's arms, again. It is breath taking. I have to concentrate on what he is telling me. How to hold the baseball bat. How to hit the ball with the baseball bat. How to…I am lost, he is touching my hips, the length of his body against mine. This is so right. Too good? Get a grip Dana, your hands are shaking. I swallow. Too close. But we are there, together. That is all that matters. My head is spinning, and I am happier than I have been in years. And more alive. Mulder. _

What if there was only one path, and all you had to do was read the signs along the way…Then all the paths and all the choices would lead to this very moment.

The night symphony was reaching its climax as the new powerful instrument joined the heated orchestra. The rain started drumming with relentless force, splashing its heavy drops onto the window pane, as if insistent to be let in. Mulder heard Scully stir. Did she wake up? He slowly rose himself off the bed on which he had been dozing off and started toward the other room.

Scully was still sitting in the same position, her legs propped on the table, her eyes closed. He didn't linger on the threshold, but walked straight into the room. Aided by the joined light of the storm and the aquarium tank, Mulder silently found his way to the other end of the couch he sat on before. Scully seemed unaware of his presence, lost in a dream or thought as it occurred to him. She had fallen asleep again, her body and soul craving solace after earth shaking events and realizations of the previous day. Mulder acted instinctively, out of the sheer need to be closer to her. He moved forward until he was just a few inches away from Scully. _So many times, so close. And yet never close enough. _Mulder tried to shake off the images from over a year ago, images of him and Scully standing in the dark hallway. Scully crying in his arms. Him gently brushing the tear from her cheek, wanting nothing more than to quench his despair and desire on her lips. The way she looked at him. The moment he made the decision. The moment she realized what was happening. The moment…and then it was gone. She stirred slightly, extending one of her arms toward him and turning on her side to face him. She was still sleeping. The thunder erupted somewhere quite close causing the windows to rattle. As shaken from the trance, a little disoriented, Scully woke up. Mulder's eyes met hers. "Mulder", she whispered. "You were asleep. The storm is raging outside," he whispered back. Compared to the noise outside, their words were barely audible, but considering their proximity, it seemed appropriate. "I know, I heard it before", said Scully. "You were not sleeping?" "Just a little, I am still recovering from the jet lag". "Me too", said Scully, "but of a different kind". She saw him smile slightly in the darkness. Then his face became serious again. "Scully, you are uncomfortable on that couch, go lie down on the bed". "I am fine", whispered Scully, her breath again caught in her throat as the reaction to his proximity. His eyes bore into hers, rooting her to the spot. The storm was no longer audible, it seemed like a distant echo to the two people taking in each other's features in the semi-darkness. Scully saw Mulder swallow. Then she saw his left hand rising to her face. She felt his fingers brush against her cheek, then slowly running down to her jaw line. His thumb did the caressing, savouring the softness of her skin again and longing to continue exploring. Now it was Scully's turn to swallow hard. She was now wide awake, sensing each move he made and feeling her skin burn at each place of contact. Never breaking eye contact, Mulder raised his other hand to Scully's face. He lowered his eyes slowly to look at her lips, just inches away from his, and felt her warm breath mixed with his. Slowly, deliberately, Mulder dipped his head and gently pulled Scully's face towards him. Just like a year ago, he saw her eyes widen with surprise and anticipation, dark blue from suppressed desire. She tilted her head to the side and felt his lips land on hers. Still holding her face in his hands, Mulder started kissing her, intensifying the pressure on her lips and fervently taking her upper and then bottom lip in turn with his own. After the initial moment of feeling paralyzed, Scully responded by adding her explorations of Mulder's lips to the kiss. She could feel their fullness, and the touch of his tongue dancing around hers caused her stomach to turn. _I am losing it…_And she was indeed lost. Lost in the arms, the hands, the fingers, the lips, oblivious of everything but the sensations overwhelming her over and over. The kissing continued, interrupted only by short ragged breaths they were both taking. Now Scully's hands started their descend from Mulder's face and hair where they were resting, gliding over his firm chest and arms down to his waste and up again. Mulder shivered from her eager touches, rallying in the feel of her hands on him in a whole new way. He also began mapping the unknown territory of her body squeezed in the tight sweater hugging her curves in the right places which caused his pulse to quicken. When he reached her waste and gripped the exposed flesh between her sweater and her skirt, she let out a moan. His hand was burning her, moving freely over her stomach only to sneak behind and caress her back, claiming each inch of her as his own. _This is too much, I need to stop before I totally lose control. _Scully opened her eyes and inched a bit away from Mulder. Feeling the lack of contact, he also opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were dimmed with the multitude of emotions raging inside him, one stronger than the other. Love, need, passion, tenderness, anticipation, curiosity, lust. Scully instinctively knew that her eyes mirrored his. She was feeling so much at the same time that she could not take it all in. She needed a moment of clarity; she needed her senses to belong to her again. She was getting over sensitized from all the things he was doing to her. "Mulder", she whispered again, but this time her voice was thick with passion. They just stared at each other, their breaths still shallow, their hands frozen in the exploration of each other's bodies_. _Mulder stood up and slowly sneaked his hands underneath her. He picked her up as in those times when she was unconscious and he was coming to her rescue. Only this time, she was safe, safe in his arms which had been her ultimate sanctuary for all these years.

He carried her to the other room and lowered her on the bed. Still weak from the intensity of the emotions, Scully just looked at him. He moved on the bed alongside her, never letting her go. He was holding her for long hours which extended through the darkness soaked with rain. She was whispering his name and he was calling out to her over and over again. This was the closest they could get and they were savouring each touch, smell, taste, satisfying every curiosity and granting every wish. When they drifted off to sleep, their souls were entwined like their limbs, their search finally over.

The closure was coming in the long-anticipated rain waking up flowers in the desert. It was pouring clouds of water over the world, wiping away its ignorance and giving birth to the brand new feelings of innocence, marking the start of an era of new hope. It was tracing shadows over the sleeping forms of two people, souls and bodies barren underneath the thin sheets.

Whatever the choices may be now, they were certain to make them together.


End file.
